United News of Bangladesh

Distinguished Fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya has said the people of Bangladesh do not want another weak and toothless human rights commission without authority or efficiency. He made the remark on Saturday while speaking at a discussion titled 'Draft Human Rights Commission Act 2025' organised by the Citizens’ Platform. Debapriya said the initiative to form a national human rights commission was first taken during the Fakhruddin-led caretaker government in 2007, and by 2009 a draft law was prepared to set the roadmap.  Later, the Awami League government changed the draft at will and established the commission through parliament, but it turned out to be ineffective, he said  “A spineless good man was appointed as the commission’s head. No matter how good a person is, if he has no backbone, he cannot run a human rights commission,” Debapriya said. He pointed out that although the interim government abolished the commission in November 2024, it has failed to come up with an alternative in nearly a year. The draft law prepared during this time, he added, is riddled with problems. Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua said the draft carries many of the flaws of the previous commission law. “There is no clear provision on how long the commission should take to dispose of complaints. It is also unclear whether a person with dual citizenship can become a member of the commission. The draft also lacks clarity on funding—whether allocations will come directly from the national budget or otherwise,” he said. Dhaka to see visits from Brussels on migration, human rights, polls observation He said the previous law allowed government bureaucrats to be part of the commission, creating a clear conflict of interest, and there is still no clarity on whether that practice will continue. Sharing her experience, Sanjida Islam, coordinator of Mayer Daak—an organisation of families of enforced disappearance victims—said, “Whenever we went to the commission, all it did was send letters to the Home Ministry and consider its duty done. Beyond that, it took no action.” Echoing her, Debapriya added that the commission used to report 100 percent task completion every year, while in reality its activities only meant sending letters to ministries. Human rights activists from different sectors, as well as UN and foreign representatives, also joined the discussion and shared their views.  

Standard Chartered Bangladesh, the largest multinational bank operating in the country, has refunded its credit card customers who lost money in a series of fraudulent incidents.  The StanChart statement said that during early September, they received complaints regarding fraudulent transactions from credit cards, through OTPs that were not generated by the clients. Based on these, the Bank has taken several steps to safeguard its clients. Naser Ezaz Bijoy, Chief Executive Officer of SCB, said, “A team from Bangladesh Bank is visiting each of the stakeholders' offices to review the process and the system.” SCB has already reported the issue with supporting information to law enforcement agencies, he said. “To avoid inconvenience to our clients, have refunded the sums involved to the affected cards. Pending completion of investigations and based on the outcome of the investigation, we will settle with the relevant stakeholders,” he added. Thorough investigation of SCB banking platforms and processes showed that there has been no gap in Standard Chartered security system. The Internet Banking portal and SC Mobile App remain as the most safe, secure and encrypted payment channels, said CEO Bijoy. Bangladesh Bank orders probe into SCB credit card scam Using apps or online banking, clients can easily transfer funds to Mobile Financial Services (MFS), he opined. However, to safeguard clients from external threats, SCB has temporarily suspended the ‘Add Money’ feature in MFSs, he said.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has warned the public about fraudulent activities involving the photo and official identity of Defence Secretary Md Ashraf Uddin. According to ISPR, some dishonest individuals and interest-driven groups are misusing the Defence Secretary’s image and ID to contact people and organizations through multiple mobile numbers and WhatsApp IDs, including 01881747343. They are allegedly demanding unethical benefits and engaging in fraudulent activities. The ISPR urged everyone to remain alert and avoid responding to such messages or requests.

Another fire victim who sustained severe burn injuries during an explosion at a chemical warehouse in Tongi, died while undergoing treatment on Friday. Al Amin Babu, 18, succumbed to his injuries in the ICU while undergoing treatment at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 11 am on Friday, confirmed Inspector Faruk, in-charge of the police camp of DMCH Hospital. Al Amin hailed from Roumari of Kurigram district. He was an employee of a shop located near the godown. His death follows those of two firefighters — Shamim and Nurul Huda — who died earlier this week at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka after suffering 100 percent burns. Shamim died on Tuesday, and Nurul Huda succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday. Another firefighter, Joy Hasan, who sustained five percent burns, is still receiving treatment at the facility. The tragic incident occurred on September 22 when a fire broke out at a tin-shed chemical warehouse in Tongi’s Sahara Market. As firefighters battled the blaze, a sudden explosion rocked the building, injuring multiple members of the fire service. Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the fire and explosion.

A woman who sustained severe burn injuries in a gas line explosion in Mohammadpur’s Dhaka Udyan area on Thursday has died while undergoing treatment.mas The victim, Parul Akter, 32, succumbed to her injuries at around 7:00 AM on Friday at the Female High Dependency Unit (HDU) of the Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in Dhaka. Dr. Shawon Bin Rahman, a resident surgeon at the institute, confirmed her death and said Parul had suffered burns over approximately 22 percent of her body, including inhalation injuries. The explosion occurred in the early hours of Thursday at a residence in the Dhaka Udyan area. Parul was rushed to the hospital’s emergency department shortly after the incident. Parul Akter, a mother of two, hailed from Hawa Kandi village under Faridganj Police Station in Chandpur district.

A family dispute allegedly over money has led to the tragic deaths of an elderly man and his young son in Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia district. The victims were identified as Shumbhu Charan Biswas, 80, and Bijoy Kumar, 32, a fish seller by profession of Uday Naturia village under Bagulat union of the upazila. According to the relatives and police, on Thursday afternoon a dispute erupted in the family when son Bijoy spent Tk 9,000 for the Durga Puja shopping without his father's knowledge. The father earned the money by selling a goat. The father wanted the money back, triggering an argument with the son. Bijoy at one stage hit his wife Minti with a bamboo stick when she tried to calm him. While trying to save the daughter-in-law the elderly man sustained injuries and fell ill. A local doctor was called to provide treatment at home but Shumbhu passed away around 11 pm while under treatment. Following the father’s death, Bijoy allegedly hanged himself from a nearby tamarind tree. Relatives spotted his body on Friday morning and informed police. Both bodies were sent to Kushtia Sadar Hospital morgue around 10:30 am for post-mortem examination. Local UP member Monirul Islam said the deaths were triggered by a family dispute. Bijoy’s grieving younger brother Bijon Kumar said his elder brother hanged himself. Officer-in-charge of Kumarkhali Police Station Khondakar Ziaur Rahman said the exact cause of death would be known after autopsies. Preliminary information suggests a family dispute led to their deaths, he added.

The body of a schoolboy, who went missing after falling into the Bhairab River in Meherpur, was recovered 16 hours later on Friday morning. The deceased was identified as Mohayeminul Islam alias Chhoto Babu, son of Shimul Hossain of Shuborajpur village in Meherpur Sadar upazila. He was a ninth-grade student at a local high school. Locals recovered his body around 6 am from the river at Kutubpur Ghat, said Mezbah Uddin, officer-in-charge of Meherpur Sadar Police Station. Witnesses said Mohayeminul went to bathe in the river with three friends on Thursday afternoon around 2pm. While his friends got into the water, he stayed on the bank. Suddenly, he slipped and fell into the river and went missing. Teenager’s body found in Narsingdi Locals and firefighters searched for him, later joined by a team of divers from Khulna. Despite hours of effort, the search was called off at 4 am. His body was spotted floating in the river by locals in the morning.

Bus owners on Thursday night suspended services to Dhaka from Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Natore districts in protest against what they termed ‘irrational demands’ of drivers and transport workers. The suspension began at 10pm, said Bazlur Rahman Ratan, president of Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners Association. Earlier this month, drivers, helpers, and supervisors enforced two separate stoppages demanding higher wages and allowances. Owners said that although workers’ salaries and benefits were recently increased, they have again raised new demands, including additional subsistence allowance and permission to pick up passengers randomly along routes. Passengers suffer as bus workers of 3 northern districts go on strike “Such practices will cause financial losses and under these conditions, it is impossible to continue operations,” said Rahman. He also said that a meeting was held in Dhaka on Tuesday with leaders of both the workers’ federation and owners’ association where operations resumed after a compromise. But fresh disputes have forced another shutdown. On September 7, workers had also enforced a strike for two days. Services resumed on September 9, and they even slapped another strike from September 22. The latest suspension has left travelers bound for Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, and Cox’s Bazar in severe distress.

A woman suffered burn injuries in a gas line explosion early Thursday morning at a residence in Dhaka Udyan, Mohammadpur, authorities said. The incident occurred at a house named Haque Villa on 2nd Road, Block B. Parul Akter, 32, sustained serious burns in the explosion and was later taken to the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, where she was admitted to the female HDU of the emergency department. Dr. Shawon Bin Rahman, resident surgeon at the institute, confirmed that Parul suffered burns covering approximately 22% of her body. According to her sister-in-law, Fahima Akter, Parul’s brother Mizan manages the house. She said the gas line had a leakage, which had been reported to the property owners but went unaddressed. “The explosion happened when the water motor switch was turned on. My sister-in-law was burned and then rushed to the hospital,” she said. The house owner, Shafiullah Jewel, told UNB that he was unaware of the gas leak. “My wife and I manage the house. The explosion occurred when the motor switch was turned on last night. Upon learning about it, we immediately arranged for her treatment at the National Burn Institute and are covering all medical expenses,” he said.

The Liberation War Museum, in collaboration with LEEDO Peace Home, have recently organised a thought-provoking event titled “Dreaming Future: A Creative Engagement Project with Children”, celebrating the creativity, imagination, and resilience of children from marginalised backgrounds. The programme featured an inspiring exhibition of artworks created by 20 children from LEEDO Peace Home, drawing inspiration from Begum Rokeya’s visionary feminist utopia, Sultana’s Dream. Curator Rupakalpa Chowdhury, who led the project, said the initiative began with a dream — “a dream where every child has the freedom to think, imagine, and express without any bondage.” Inspired by Rokeya’s revolutionary story, the project explored the transformative power of creative education through storytelling, self-reflection, and hands-on making.